Mobile communication apparatus having anti-theft and auto-notification functions

ABSTRACT

A mobile communication apparatus comprises a first SIM card, an anti-theft control circuit, a transmission control circuit, and a security module. The first SIM card is engaged with the mobile communication apparatus and has corresponding first identification information. The anti-theft control circuit has a SIM-card-detection module and an information management module. The SIM-card-detection module is used for detecting whether the first SIM card is replaced by a second SIM card and generating a corresponding detection result. The information management module is used for storing the corresponding first identification information, predetermined contact information, and a user personal database. The transmission control circuit is used for transmitting data and/or signals. The security module provides a data security class. When the SIM-card-detection module generates the detection result, the transmission control circuit will send a notice signal according to the predetermined contact information, and when the security module receives the detection result, a data security procedure in the security module is enabled to protect the data in the user personal database according to the set data security class.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation-in-part application of copending application Ser.No. 11/189,151 filed Jul. 25, 2005, entitled “Mobile communicationapparatus having anti-theft and auto-notification function”.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a mobile communication apparatus and, moreparticularly, to a mobile communication apparatus having anti-theft andauto-notification functions.

2. Description of the Prior Art

As the continuous development of technology, mobile communicationapparatuses have become more and more multi-functional and expensive.When users lose their mobile communication apparatuses, it will causethem a lot of inconvenience and financial lost.

The mobile communication apparatus has a unique international mobileequipment identity (IMEI) to identification. When the mobilecommunication apparatus is lost, the position of the lost mobilecommunication apparatus can be traced via the IMEI-trace procedureprovided by the TSP (Telecom service provider). However, if the originalSIM (Subscriber identification module) card of the lost mobilecommunication apparatus is replaced, the TSP for the original SIM cardwill not be able to trace the position of the mobile communicationapparatus via the IMEI-trace procedure. The owner can still find theposition of the mobile communication apparatus by asking all the TSPs toperform the IMEI-trace procedure, but it is too expensive. However, ifthe lost mobile communication apparatus is taken overseas, it isimpossible to find it back.

Some well-known mobile communication apparatus has GPS (global positionsystem) facility installed, and the position of the lost mobilecommunication apparatus can be traced via the GPS. However, the cost ofinstalling GPS facility is too high to aim the GPS facility at findingthe lost mobile communication apparatus.

Some mobile communication apparatus of the prior art has some securityfunction. For example, each SIM card has a PIN (personal identificationnumber) as a password, and each mobile communication apparatus hasseveral kinds of security codes for preventing the lost mobilecommunication apparatus from being misused and/or preventing theimportant information stored inside from being stolen. However, it willbe impossible for the owner to find the lost mobile communicationapparatus via the mentioned security function.

In the mobile communication apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.6,662,023, if it is not normally started (e.g. the wrong security codeis entered), it will display the information about the owner of themobile communication apparatus on the interface. Besides, the owner canalso use remote control, such as short messages, to control the securitysettings of the lost mobile communication apparatus. However, if the SIMcard of the lost mobile communication apparatus is replaced, the ownerwill have no idea about the new phone number of the lost mobilecommunication apparatus so that it is impossible for the owner to sendthe short messages to the lost mobile communication apparatus forsecurity settings. Namely, the remote control function cannot beperformed.

Hence, the main objective of the present invention is to provide amobile communication apparatus which has anti-theft andauto-notification functions to solve the above problems.

SUMMARY

One objective of the present invention is to provide a mobilecommunication apparatus that has anti-theft and auto-notificationfunctions and a method of signal detection and notification for theapparatus that can help the owner find the lost mobile communicationapparatus.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a mobilecommunication apparatus that has anti-theft and auto-notificationfunctions; it also provides a method of signal detection andnotification for the apparatus that can retrieve and send informationabout the user of the new substitute SIM card to the original owner whenthe mobile communication apparatus is lost and the SIM card of themobile communication apparatus is replaced. The original owner can usethe new communication number to set and trace the lost mobilecommunication apparatus.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a mobilecommunication apparatus that has anti-theft and auto-notificationfunctions; it also provides a method of signal detection andnotification for the apparatus that can start the security functions toprotect the original owner's personal data and to further send thatpersonal data to the original owner.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a mobilecommunication apparatus that has anti-theft and auto-notificationfunctions and a method for information security for the apparatus thatcan make the original owner remotely change the security setting whenthe mobile communication apparatus is lost.

The mobile communication apparatus of the present invention that hasanti-theft and auto-notification functions comprises a first SIM card, atransmission control circuit, and an anti-theft control circuit. Thefirst SIM card is configured to be engaged with the mobile communicationapparatus, and it has corresponding first identification information.The transmission control circuit is used to send data or/and signal.

The anti-theft control circuit comprises a SIM-card-detection module anda subscriber information management module. The SIM-card-detectionmodule is used to detect whether the first SIM card (i.e. the originalSIM card) is replaced by a second SIM card (i.e. the substitute SIMcard), and to generates a corresponding detection result. The subscriberinformation management module is used to store the corresponding firstidentification information of the first SIM card and contactinformation. When the SIM-card-detection module generates the detectionresult, the transmission control circuit will send a notice signal tothe original owner according to the contact information stored in thesubscriber information management module.

The mobile communication apparatus of the present invention that hasanti-theft and auto-notification functions also comprises a securitymodule. The security module comprises/provides a plurality of datasecurity classes for setting and stores a third security code forprotecting the data in the user's (original owner's) personal databasecorrespondingly. When the transmission control circuit receives a remotemessage, the security module will determine whether the remote messageis a predetermined legitimate remote control message according to thethird security code. If YES, the data in the user's personal database isprotected correspondingly by performing a data security procedureaccording to the remote control message.

The method of the present invention for signal detection andnotification applied in a mobile communication apparatus comprises thefollowing steps. To begin with, a first SIM card is provided to becoupled to the mobile communication apparatus, and the first SIM cardcomprises corresponding first identification information. Next, the fistidentification information corresponding to the first SIM card andpredetermined contact information are stored in the mobile communicationapparatus. Then, it is detected whether the first SIM card is replacedby a second SIM card, and a corresponding detection result is generated.If a detection result is generated by the SIM-card-detection module, anotice signal will be sent to the user (the original owner) according tothe predetermined contact information.

The method of the present invention applied in a mobile communicationapparatus comprises the following steps. A plurality of data securityclasses are provided in the mobile communication apparatus for setting,and a third security code is provided for protecting the data in theuser's (original owner's) personal database correspondingly. When aremote message is received by the mobile communication apparatus, theremote message is examined by using the third security code. After theremote message is confirmed to be the predetermined legitimate remotecontrol message, the data in the user's personal database is protectedcorrespondingly by performing a data security procedure according to theremote message.

Hence, the present invention is provided not only to effectivelysecure/protect the data stored in the mobile communication apparatuswhen the mobile communication is lost, but also to remotely control thesetting of the lost mobile communication apparatus. Besides, when theoriginal SIM card is replaced, user information of the substitute SIMcard can be sent to the original owner via various transmission methodsso that the original owner can continuously trace and set the lostmobile communication apparatus by using a new communication numberprovided in that user information. This helps the original owner to findback the lost mobile communication apparatus.

The advantage and spirit of the invention could be better understood bythe following recitations together with the appended drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequentdetailed description and examples with references made to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a function block diagram illustrating a mobile communicationapparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a function block diagram illustrating the mobile communicationapparatus of FIG. 1 when its original SIM card being replaced by asecond SIM card.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the subscriber informationmanagement module as illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the method of signal detection andnotification for the mobile communication apparatus according to apreferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the data security method for themobile communication apparatus according to a preferred embodiment ofthe invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 1 is a function block diagramillustrating a mobile communication apparatus 10 according to apreferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a functionblock diagram illustrating the mobile communication apparatus 10 shownin FIG. 1 when its SIM card 12 being replaced by a second SIM card 13.As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile communication apparatus 10 of theinvention comprises a first SIM card 12, an anti-theft control circuit14, a transmission control circuit 16, and a communication circuit 17.The mobile communication apparatus 10 has a unique international mobileequipment identity (unique IMEI) 64 for identification. The anti-theftcontrol circuit 14 comprises a SIM-card-detection module 20, aninformation management module 145, and a security module 24. Theinformation management module 145 comprises a subscriber informationmanagement module 22 and an identification information management module23.

The first SIM card 12 is coupled to the mobile communication apparatus10, and it comprises a corresponding first international mobilesubscriber identity (IMSI) code 18, a first Integrated Circuit CardIdentification (ICCID) 19, and a corresponding first phone number 52.The first SIM card 12 is placed in the mobile communication apparatus 10and is connected with the communication circuit 17.

The IMSI is a 15-digit, non-dialable number used to provide each digitalcellular subscriber with a unique identification number. The IMSI is aunique number that is associated with mobile phone users within anetwork system such as GSM and UMTS (Universal Mobile TelecommunicationsSystem). The IMSI is sent by the mobile phone to the network and is alsoused to acquire other details of the mobile in the Home LocationRegister (HLR) or as locally copied in the Visitor Location Register.

The ICCID is a 19-digit number physically printed on the SIM card. EachSIM card is uniquely identified by its ICCID.

The communication circuit 17 is configured to form a communicationlinkage. The transmission control circuit 16 is configured to transferdata and/or signal.

The SIM-card-detection module 20 is configured to detect whether thefirst SIM card 12 is replaced by the second SIM card 13 according to theIMSI code 18 and/or the ICCID 19, and to generate a correspondingdetection result. The SIM-card-detection module 20 comprises a detector26 and a comparator 28. The subscriber information management module 22is used to store the first international mobile subscriber identity(IMSI) code 18 corresponding to the first SIM card 12 and to storepredetermined contact information 34.

The identification information management module 23 is used to store thefirst ICCID 19 corresponding to the first SIM card 12.

Please refer to FIG. 2. The detector 26 is used to detect the second SIMcard 13 currently coupled to the mobile communication apparatus 10, soas to get a corresponding second IMSI code 30 and/or a second ICCID 33.The comparator 28 is used to compare the second IMSI 30 with the firstIMSI code 18 stored in the subscriber information management module 22.The comparator 28 can also compares the second ICCID 33 with the firstICCID 19 stored in the identification information management module 23.If it is determined that the second IMSI 30 is different from the firstIMSI 18, or the second ICCID 33 is different from the first ICCID 19,the SIM-card-detection module 20 will generate a corresponding detectionresult 32. In the mobile communication apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 2,because the first SIM card 12 is replaced by the second SIM card 13, theSIM-card-detection module 20 will detect that replacement, and generatea corresponding detection result 32. When the SIM-card-detection module20 generates the detection result 32, the transmission control circuit16 will send a short message according to the predetermined contactinformation 34 in the subscriber management module 22. At this time, theTSP will automatically add a notice signal 36 into the short message. Inother words, when the mobile communication apparatus 10 detects that thefirst SIM card 12 is replaced by the second SIM card 13, the mobilecommunication apparatus 10 will send a short message according to thepredetermined contact information 34, and the TSP of the second SIM card13 will add the phone number of the second SIM card 13 into the shortmessage.

The second SIM card 13 has a corresponding second phone number 42, andthe notice signal 36 comprises the corresponding second phone number 42of the second SIM card 13, wherein the second telephone number 42further comprises a country code 38 and an operator code 40. Suppose thesecond phone number 42 is “+886928xxxx”, then the country code 38 is“+886” which represents Taiwan; the operator code 40 is “978” whichrepresents Chung-Hwa Telecom, a communication service provider inTaiwan. Particularly, when the TSP of the second SIM card 13 and that ofthe first SIM card 12 are in the same country, the second phone number42 may not show the country code 38.

Please refer to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating thesubscriber information management module as illustrated in FIG. 1. Inthe mobile communication apparatus 10, the subscriber informationmanagement module 22 stores the first IMSI code 18 and contactinformation 34. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention,the contact information 34 may be an e-mail address 54 and/or acorresponding first phone number 52 to be stored in the subscriberinformation management module 22 in advance. The predetermined contactinformation 34 can comprise both of the e-mail address 54 and the firstphone number 52, or one of them. According to different embodiments ofthe invention, the contact information 34 can be the e-mail address 54or/and the first phone number 52, and the notice signal 36 istransmitted to the predetermined e-mail address 54 or/and the firstphone number 52.

If the mobile communication apparatus 10 is lost and the first SIM card12 is replaced by the second SIM card 13, the mobile communicationapparatus 10 will send a short message having the notice signal 36automatically added by the TSP of the second SIM card 13 to the originalowner according to the predetermined contact information designated bythe owner, such as a telephone number and/or an e-mail address. In otherwords, when the original owner receives the phone call and/or thee-mail, the owner will know the related information of the second SIMcard 13. Therefore, the original owner can trace the mobilecommunication apparatus 10 by that information.

As shown in FIG. 3, the subscriber management module 22 also has a userpersonal database 44. According to the embodiment of the invention, theuser's personal database 44 includes a phonebook database 46, a scheduledatabase 48, an e-mail database 50, or other kinds of database.According to an embodiment of the invention, the predetermined contactinformation is the e-mail address 54. The transmission control circuit16 will send an e-mail which includes the notice signal 36 to the e-mailaddress 54. If the substitute second SIM card 13 has the e-mail serviceprovided by the TSP, the original owner can obtain the second phonenumber 42 via the sender of the e-mail. For example, the sender'saddress of the e-mail which includes the notice signal 36 will bepresented as 0928xxxxxx@emomo.net.tw, wherein 0928xxxxxx is the secondphone number 42. If the substitute second SIM card 13 does not use thee-mail service provided by the TSP, the notice signal 36 sent to thee-mail address 54 will only comprise the second IMSI code 30. However,the original owner can still obtain the country code 38 and the operatorcode 40 of the second SIM card 13 via the second IMSI code 30. Accordingto the embodiment of the invention, the transmission control circuit 16will further transmit the data in the user's personal database 44 to thee-mail address to be received by an electronic apparatus (not shown).

In some embodiment of the invention, when the mobile communicationapparatus 10 is lost and the first SIM card 12 of the mobilecommunication apparatus 10 is replaced by the second SIM card 13, theSIM-card-detection module 20 will detect the replacement, and then thetransmission control circuit 16 will send an e-mail according to thee-mail address 54 and will also transmit the data in the user's personaldatabase 44 to the e-mail address 54 to be received by the computersystem for storing. Therefore, even if the original owner cannot findback the lost mobile communication apparatus 10, the original owner canget back the phonebook records, schedule records etc in the user'spersonal database 44 stored in the lost mobile communication apparatus10 via the mentioned data transmission.

In some embodiment of the invention, the predetermined contactinformation is the first phone number 52. When the SIM-card-detectionmodule 20 generates the detection result 32 and transmits the detectionresult 32 to the security module 24, the security module 24 will notifythe transmission control circuit 16. The transmission control circuit 16will dial the first phone number 52 via the communication circuit 17,and the notice signal 36 will be automatically sent via the TSP. Thenotice signal 36 includes a second phone number 42. The second phonenumber 42 further comprises the country code 38 and the operator code40. However, the user can disable the function of sending phone numberfor hiding the second phone number 42 while using the mobilecommunication apparatus 10. Under this situation, the security module 24will enable/activate the function of sending phone number first, andthen notify the transmission control circuit 16 to dial the first phonenumber 52 via the communication circuit 17, so as to send out the noticesignal 36 that includes the second phone number 42.

When a subscriber (i.e. the original owner) wants to edit and/or tomodify the predetermined contact information 34 in the subscriberinformation management module 22, a first security code must becorrectly inputted. The first security code 56 is set by the subscriberand is stored in advance in the mobile communication apparatus 10. Afterthe input first security code 56 is confirmed to be correct, thecorresponding IMSI code of the SIM card currently coupled to the mobilecommunication apparatus 10 will be stored in the subscriber informationmanagement module 22.

The security module 24 has a plurality of data security classes forsetting. When a subscriber (i.e. the original owner) wants to set and/orto modify the data security class of the mobile communication apparatus10, a second security code 58 must be correctly inputted. Only when theinput second security code is confirmed to be correct, the subscriber isallowed to set and/or to modify the data security class of the mobilecommunication apparatus 10. Besides, the user can disable the functionof the anti-theft control circuit 14 by entering the second securitycode 58. In some embodiment of the present invention, the securitymodule 24 provides four data security classes for user (i.e. subscriber)selection and setting. The four data security classes and theircorresponding security actions are listed in table 1. TABLE 1 DataSecurity Class Security Actions Class 3 Sending out the notice signal tothe predetermined contact information, locking and encrypting all datain the user's personal database stored in the subscriber informationmanagement module, and sending all of that data to the predeterminedcontact information Class 2 Sending out the notice signal to thepredetermined contact information, locking and encrypting all data inthe user's personal database stored in the subscriber informationmanagement module Class 1 Locking and encrypting all data in the user'spersonal database stored in the subscriber information management moduleClass 0 Doing nothing relating to data security

In some embodiment of the present invention, when the data securityclass of the mobile communication apparatus 10 is set to be Class 3 andis activated, all of the data in the user's personal database will betransmitted to the original owner. The data in the phonebook database 46is packaged in the form of a virtual business card (vCard) fortransmission, while the data in the schedule database 48 is packaged inthe form of a virtual calendar (vCalendar) for transmission. In otherwords, when the data security class 3 is activated, the owner willreceive the data in the form of a vCard, a vCalendar and e-mails, andcan easily store the vCard, the vCalendar, and the e-mails (i.e. thedata) into another mobile communication apparatus, such as a mobilephone, or other electronic apparatus, such as a personal computer, aPersonal Digital Assistant (PDA).

When the security module 24 receives the detection result 32, a datasecurity procedure in the data security module 24 is activated, and theuser's personal database 44 is protected and secured according to theset data security class. After sending out the notice signal 36, thesecurity module 24 will wait for a confirmation signal for confirmingthat the notice signal 36 has been successfully transmitted to thepredetermined contact information 34. If the security module 24 does notreceive the confirmation signal in a predetermined period, it will sendout the notice signal 36 again until the confirmation signal isreceived.

During and after the transmission control circuit 16 transmits the datain the user's personal database 44 to the predetermined contactinformation 34, the security module 24 will avoid displaying anyinformation related to that data transmission. Furthermore, it willdelete all of the records related to that data transmission. Similarly,no information related to the notice signal transmission and theconfirmation signal reception will be displayed and recorded.

When the mobile communication apparatus 10 is lost, the data in theuser's personal database 44 of the mobile communication apparatus 10 notonly can be sent back to the original owner, but also any informationrelated to that data transmission will not be displayed or recorded,neither the notice signal transmission and the confirmation signalreception. Namely, the data security procedure, including the noticesignal transmission, data locking, encryption and transmission, isperformed in secret. Therefore, even if the lost mobile communicationapparatus 10 is taken by others, the performing of the data securityprocedure will not be known. Furthermore, by applying the functions ofsignal detection and notification mentioned above, it is more possiblefor the original owner to find back the lost mobile communicationapparatus 10.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transmission control circuit 16 includes acarrier control module 60 and a data transmission module 62. The carriercontrol module 60 will select one available carrier from a plurality ofcarriers according to the size of the data to be transmitted for datatransmission. The transmission carrier is provided in a communicationsystem, such as a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), ageneral packet radio service (GPRS), Enhanced Data rates for GSMEvolution (EDGE), a wCDMA, and a CDMA2000.

The data transmission module 62 will select a corresponding datatransmission application program according to the selected transmissioncarrier for the data transmission. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4,the data transmission application program may be an e-mail application,a short message service (SMS) application, and a multimedia messageservice (MMS) application.

The invention also provides a method for signal detection andnotification to be applied in a mobile communication apparatus. Themobile communication apparatus is coupled to the first SIM card, andstores a first IMSI and first ICCID corresponding to the first SIM cardand predetermined contact information. In the signal detection andnotification method for the mobile communication apparatus of theinvention, it will be detected whether the first SIM card is replaced bythe second SIM card, and a corresponding detection result will begenerated. Then, a short message having the notice signal automaticallyadded by the TSP is sent to the predetermined contact information.

Please refer to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the method ofsignal detection and notification for the mobile communication apparatusaccording to a preferred embodiment of the invention. Please refer toFIG. 4, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the flowchart of the method for detectingwhether the first SIM card 12 is replaced by the second SIM card 13 andthe flowchart of sending the notice signal 36 are demonstrated. In theembodiment, the first IMSI 18 and/or ICCID 19 corresponding to the firstSIM card 12 and the predetermined contact information 34 are pre-storedin the mobile communication apparatus 10. According to the presentinvention, the method to detect whether the first SIM card is replacedby the second SIM card in the mobile communication apparatus 10comprises the steps below:

Step 100: Detecting the second SIM card 13 currently engaged with themobile communication apparatus 10, and then obtaining a correspondingsecond IMSI 30 and/or second ICCID 33.

Step 102: Comparing the second IMSI 30 with the first IMSI 18 stored inthe subscriber information management module 22 to identify whether thesecond IMSI 30 and the first IMSI 18 are the same, and/or comparing thesecond ICCID 33 with the first ICCID 19 stored in the identificationinformation management module 23 to identify whether the second ICCID 33and the first ICCID 19 are the same. If yes, go to step 108; if not, goto step 104.

Step 104: Generating detection result 32 which represents the secondIMSI 30 is different from the IMSI 18 and/or second ICCID 33 isdifferent from the ICCID 19.

Step 106: Sending the notice signal 36 to the predetermined contactinformation 34.

Step 108: End.

Please refer to FIG. 1. The security mechanism of the mobilecommunication apparatus 10 is further described as follows. The securitymodule 24 not only can achieve the above functions but also executeother security functions. The security module 24 not only has aplurality of data security classes for setting, but also stores a thirdsecurity code 66 for protecting the data in the user's personal database44. When the transmission control circuit 16 receives a remote message68, the security module 24 examines whether the remote message 68 is apredetermined legitimate remote control message according to the thirdsecurity code. If YES, the data in the user's personal database 44 isprotected correspondingly according to the remote message 68.

The remote message 68 is sent by a remote electronic apparatus (notshown). The electronic apparatus comprises an interface program toreceive an inputted fourth security code, and the electronic apparatuswill use the fourth security code to compile and/or encode the remotemessage 68 to be the predetermined legitimate remote control message.After receiving the remote message 68, the security module 24 will usethe stored third security code 66 to decompile/decode the remote message68. If the fourth security code (not shown) and the third security code66 are the same, the remote message 68 can be successfully decoded andbe identified to be the predetermined legal remote control message.After recognizing the remote message as the predetermined legal remotecontrol message, the data in the user's personal database 44 is securedaccording to the remote message 68.

In some embodiment of the invention, the electronic apparatus sendingthe remote message 68 is another mobile communication apparatus. In thisembodiment of the invention, when the original owner of the mobilecommunication apparatus 10 loses the mobile communication apparatus 10,the original owner can use another mobile communication apparatus tosend a short message as a remote message 68 for remotely controlling thelost apparatus 10. After the mobile communication apparatus 10 receivesthe remote message 68, it will use the stored third security code 66 todecode the remote message 68. After the remote message 68 is confirmedto be a predetermined legitimate remote control message, the data in theuser's personal database 44 is correspondingly secured according to theremote message 68. In this embodiment, the following actions/operationsfor data security may be performed according to the remote message 68:changing/setting the security class, locking all of the personal datafrom being accessed/modified/detected, modifying the phone numbers ande-mail addresses stored in the contact information, and changing thesecurity code(s).

The remote message 68 comprises a first contact information 70 inputtedvia the interface program of the electronic apparatus. The securitymodule 24 will set/modify the security actions corresponding to each ofthe data security classes according to the first contact information 70,as shown in Table 2. TABLE 2 Data Security Class Security Actions Class3 Sending a notice signal to the first contact information, locking andencrypting all data in the user's personal database stored in thesubscriber information management module, and sending all the data tothe first contact information Class 2 Sending a notice signal to thefirst contact information, locking and encrypting all data in the user'spersonal database stored in the subscriber information management moduleClass 1 Locking and encrypting all data in the user's personal databasestored in the subscriber information management module Class 0 Doingnothing

The subscriber data management module 22 may further store otherpredetermined second contact information. In some embodiment, the secondcontact information is the predetermined contact information 34pre-stored in the subscriber data management module 22. The securitymodule 24 will then set/modify the security actions corresponding toeach of the data security classes according to the second contactinformation, as shown in Table 3. TABLE 3 Data Security Class SecurityActions Class 3 Sending out the notice signal to the second contactinformation, locking and encrypting all data in the user's personaldatabase stored in the subscriber information management module, andsending all the data to the second contact information Class 2 Sendingout the notice signal to the second contact information, locking andencrypting all data in the user's personal database stored in thesubscriber information management module Class 1 Locking and encryptingall data in the user's personal database stored in the subscriberinformation management module Class 0 Doing nothing

The mobile communication apparatus 10 comprises a display panel (notshown). According to some embodiment of the invention, the remotemessage 68 received by the transmission control circuit 16 is a shortmessage. If the security module 24 recognizes the remote control shortmessage as a predetermined legal remote control message, the remotecontrol short message will not be displayed on the display panel, so asto prevent the current user, probably an illegal user, of the lostmobile communication apparatus from being aware of the existence of theremote control short message.

Please refer to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the datasecurity method for the mobile communication apparatus according to apreferred embodiment of the invention. The present invention alsoprovides a data security method used in the mobile communicationapparatus 10. Please also refer to FIG. 1. The data security method ofthe present invention is described by referring to the mobilecommunication apparatus 10 in FIG. 1. According to the presentinvention, the data security method for the mobile communicationapparatus 10 comprises the following steps:

Step 200: A plurality of data security classes are provided and a thirdsecurity code 66 is stored in the mobile communication apparatus 10.

Step 202: The mobile communication apparatus 10 receives a remotemessage 68.

Step 204: The mobile communication apparatus 10 examines whether theremote message 68 is a predetermined legitimate remote control messageaccording to the third security code 66. If YES, go to step 206; if NOT,go to step 208.

Step 206: The data in the user's personal database 44 is protectedcorrespondingly according to the remote message 68.

Step 208: End

In some embodiment of the invention, in the following scenario, theoriginal owner loses his/her mobile communication apparatus 10, and thedata security class of the lost mobile communication apparatus 10 is setto be Class 2. Then, the original first SIM card 12 of the lost mobilecommunication apparatus 10 is replaced by the second SIM card 13. Theoriginal owner will receive a notice signal 36 first. However, the datain the user's personal database 44 will not be sent back to the originalowner since the data security class 2 provides no security action ofthat data transmission. The original owner can then further send aremote message 68 to the lost mobile communication apparatus 10 tochange the data security class to be Class 3. Therefore, the lost mobilecommunication apparatus 10 will then perform the security action ofsending all the data in the user's personal database 44 back to theoriginal owner according to the predetermined contact information. Inother words, no matter what the original setting of the security classand the contact information are, the original owner can easily changethat via remote control.

Compared with the prior art, the present invention is provided not onlyto effectively secure/protect the data stored in the mobilecommunication apparatus when the mobile communication is lost, but alsoto remotely control the setting of the lost mobile communicationapparatus. Besides, when the original SIM card is replaced, userinformation of the substitute SIM card can be sent to the original ownervia various transmission methods so that the original owner cancontinuously trace and set the lost mobile communication apparatus byusing a new communication number provided in that user information. Thishelps the original owner to find back the lost mobile communicationapparatus.

With the example and explanations above, the features and spirits of theinvention will be hopefully well described. Those skilled in the artwill readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of thedevice may be made while retaining the teaching of the invention.Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only bythe metes and bounds of the appended claims.

1. A mobile communication apparatus comprising: a first SIM card,comprising corresponding first identification information, being coupledto the mobile communication apparatus; an anti-theft control circuitcomprising: a SIM-card-detection module for detecting whether the firstSIM card is replaced by a second SIM card, and generating acorresponding detection result; and an information management module forstoring the first identification information corresponding to the firstSIM card, a predetermined contact information, and a user personaldatabase; a transmission control circuit for transmitting data and/orsignal; and a security module providing a data security class; whereinwhen the SIM-card-detection module generates the detection result, thetransmission control circuit sends out a notice signal according to thepredetermined contact information stored in the information managementmodule, and when the security module receives the detection result, adata security procedure in the security module is enabled to protect thedata in the user personal database according to the set data securityclass.
 2. The mobile communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein asubscriber needs to input a first security code before storing and/ormodifying the predetermined contact information stored in theinformation management module; and wherein after the inputted firstsecurity code is confirmed to be correct, the correspondingidentification information of the SIM card currently coupled to themobile communication apparatus will be stored and/or modified in theinformation management module.
 3. The mobile communication apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the user personal database comprises a phonebookdatabase, a schedule database, and an e-mail database.
 4. The mobilecommunication apparatus of claim 3, wherein the contact information isan e-mail address stored in the information management module inadvance; and wherein the transmission control circuit sends out ane-mail to be the notice signal according to the e-mail address andtransmits the data in the user's personal database to an electronicapparatus which receives the e-mail.
 5. The mobile communicationapparatus of claim 1, the SIM-card-detection module comprising: adetector for detecting a second SIM card currently coupled to the mobilecommunication apparatus to get second identification informationcorresponding to the second SIM card; and a comparator for comparing thesecond identification information with the prestored firstidentification information; wherein the SIM-card-detection modulegenerates the corresponding detection result if the secondidentification information is different from the first identificationinformation.
 6. The mobile communication apparatus of claim 5, whereinthe second SIM card has a corresponding second phone number whichcomprises a country code and an operator code, and the notice signalcomprises the second phone number.
 7. The mobile communication apparatusof claim 5, wherein the security module provides a plurality of datasecurity classes for setting; and wherein a subscriber needs to input asecond security code before setting and/or modifying the data securityclass, and only after the inputted second security code is confirmed tobe correct, the subscriber is allowed to set and/or to modify the datasecurity class of the mobile communication apparatus.
 8. The mobilecommunication apparatus of claim 7, wherein the subscriber is able todisable the function of the anti-theft control circuit through inputtingthe second security code.
 9. The mobile communication apparatus of claim7, wherein the security module comprises four data security classes forsetting and the data security classes comprises: a data security class3: sending out the notice signal according to the predetermined contactinformation, locking up and encrypting all data in the user personaldatabase stored in the information management module, and sending all ofthe data according to the predetermined contact information; a datasecurity class 2: sending out the notice signal according to thepredetermined contact information, locking up and encrypting all data inthe user personal database stored in the information management module;a data security class 1: locking up and encrypting all data in the userpersonal database stored in the information management module; and adata security class 0: doing nothing.
 10. The mobile communicationapparatus of claim 7, wherein the mobile communication apparatus furthercomprises a communication circuit for establishing a communicationlinkage, and the first SIM card has a corresponding first phone numberserving as the predetermined contact information; and wherein when theSIM-card-detection module generates the detection result and transmitsthe detection result to the security module; the security module informsthe transmission control circuit to dial the first phone number via thecommunication circuit for sending out the notice signal automatically.11. The mobile communication apparatus of claim 7, wherein after thenotice signal is sent out, the security module waits for a confirmationsignal to confirm that the notice signal has been transmitted accordingto the predetermined contact information successfully, and wherein ifthe security module does not receive the confirmation signal in apredetermined period, the security module repetitiously sends the noticesignal until the confirmation signal is received.
 12. The mobilecommunication apparatus of claim 4, wherein when and/or after thetransmission control circuit sends out the data in the user personaldatabase according to the predetermined contact information, thesecurity module avoids the showing of information related to that datatransmission or/and deletes all corresponding records of that datatransmission.
 13. The mobile communication apparatus of claim 11,wherein when and/or after the notice signal is transmitted, the securitymodule avoids the showing of information related to that notice signaltransmission or/and deletes all corresponding records of that noticesignal transmission; and wherein when and/or after the confirmationsignal is received, the security module avoids the showing ofinformation related to that confirmation signal reception or/and deletesall corresponding records of that confirmation signal reception.
 14. Themobile communication apparatus of claim 1, the transmission controlcircuit comprising: a carrier control module for selecting one availablecarrier from a plurality of carriers for transmitting data; and a datatransmission module for selecting a corresponding data transmissionapplication program for transmitting data according to the carrier thathas been selected; wherein the carrier control module selects thecarrier based upon the size of the data to be transmitted.
 15. Themobile communication apparatus of claim 13, wherein the carriers areprovided in a communication system, and the communication system is oneof Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), General Packet RadioService (GPRS), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), WCDMA andCDMA2000; and wherein the data transmission application program is oneof an e-mail application program, a short message service (SMS)application program, and a multimedia message service (MMS) applicationprogram.
 16. The mobile communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein themobile communication apparatus comprises a unique international mobileequipment identity (IMEI) for identification.
 17. The mobilecommunication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first identificationinformation comprises at least one of a first international mobilesubscriber identity (IMSI) code and first Integrated Circuit CardIdentification (ICCID).
 18. The mobile communication apparatus of claim17, wherein the information management module stores the at least one ofthe first IMSI code and the first ICCID.
 19. The mobile communicationapparatus of claim 5, wherein the second identification informationcomprises at least one of a first international mobile subscriberidentity (IMSI) code and first Integrated Circuit Card Identification(ICCID).
 20. A mobile communication apparatus comprising: an anti-theftcontrol circuit comprising: a subscriber information management modulefor storing a user personal database; and a security module providing aplurality of data security classes for setting and having a thirdsecurity code to perform a corresponding data security procedure on thedata in the user personal database; a transmission control circuit fortransmitting data and/or signals; wherein when the transmission controlcircuit receives a remote message, the security module examines whetherthe remote message is a predetermined legitimate remote control messageaccording to the third security code; wherein if YES, the correspondingdata security procedure is performed on the data in the user personaldatabase according to the remote message.
 21. The mobile communicationapparatus of claim 20, wherein the remote message is sent from a remoteelectronic apparatus, comprising an interface program for receiving ainputted fourth security code, and the remote message is compiled and/orencoded by the remote electronic apparatus to be the predeterminedlegitimate remote control message based upon the fourth security code;wherein when the security module receives the remote message, thecontent of the remote message is decoded based upon the third securitycode stored in the security module; wherein if the fourth security codeis same as the third security code, the content of the remote message isdecoded successfully, and then the remote message is confirmed to be thepredetermined legitimate remote control message.
 22. The mobilecommunication apparatus of claim 21, wherein the security modulecomprises four data security classes for setting, and the data securityprocedure is determined according to the set data security class, thedata security classes comprises: a data security class 3: sending anotice signal according to the contact information, locking up andencrypting all data in the user personal database stored in thesubscriber information management module, and transmitting all of thedata according to the contact information; a data security class 2:sending the notice signal according to the first contact information,locking up and encrypting all data in the user personal database storedin the subscriber information management module; a data security class1: locking up and encrypting all data in the user personal databasestored in the subscriber information management module; and a datasecurity class 0: doing nothing; wherein the contact information is oneof a first contact information included in the remote message and asecond contact information stored in the subscriber informationmanagement module.
 23. The mobile communication apparatus of claim 20,wherein the mobile communication apparatus further comprises a displaypanel, and the remote message received by the transmission controlcircuit is a remote control short message; wherein if the securitymodule confirms that the remote control short message is thepredetermined legitimate remote control message, the security modulewill prevents the remote control short message from being displayed onthe display panel so as to keep the user currently using the mobilecommunication apparatus from being aware of the existence of the remotecontrol short message.
 24. A method for signal detection andnotification applied in a mobile communication apparatus, the methodcomprising: (a) providing a first SIM card to be coupled to the mobilecommunication apparatus, the first SIM card comprising a correspondingfirst identification information; (b) storing in the mobilecommunication apparatus the fist identification informationcorresponding to the first SIM card, a predetermined contactinformation, and a user personal database; (c) detecting whether thefirst SIM card is replaced by a second SIM card and generating acorresponding detection result; (d) providing a data security class; and(e) if the detection result is generated, sending out a notice signalaccording to the predetermined contact information; and (f) performing adata security procedure to protect the data in the user personaldatabase according to the set data security class.
 25. The method ofclaim 24, wherein a subscriber needs to input a first security codebefore storing or/and modifying the predetermined contact information;and wherein after the inputted first security code is confirmed to becorrect, the corresponding identification information of the SIM cardcurrently coupled to the mobile communication apparatus is stored or/andmodified.
 26. The method of claim 24, wherein the contact information isan e-mail address, and an e-mail is sent out according to the e-mailaddress to be the notice signal, and the data stored in the mobilecommunication apparatus is transmitted to an electronic apparatus whichreceives that e-mail.
 27. The method of claim 25, the step (c) furthercomprising: (c1) detecting a second SIM card presently coupled to themobile communication apparatus to get second identification informationcorresponding to the second SIM card; (c2) comparing the secondidentification information with the first identification informationstored in the mobile communication apparatus; and (c3) generating thecorresponding detection result when the second identificationinformation is different from the first identification information. 28.The method of claim 27, wherein the second SIM card has a correspondingsecond phone number which comprises a country code and an operator code,and the notice signal comprises the second phone number.
 29. The methodof claim 27, wherein the mobile communication apparatus provides aplurality of data security classes for setting; and wherein a subscriberneeds to input a second security code before setting or/and modifyingthe data security class, and only after the inputted second securitycode is confirmed to be correct, the subscriber is allowed to set or/andto modify the data security class of the mobile communication apparatus.30. The method of claim 29, wherein the mobile communication apparatusprovides four data security classes for setting, and the data securityclasses comprises: a data security class 3: sending out the noticesignal according to the predetermined contact information, locking upand encrypting the data stored in the mobile communication apparatus,and transmitting the data according to the predetermined contactinformation; a data security class 2: sending out the notice signalaccording to the predetermined contact information, locking up andencrypting the data stored in the mobile communication apparatus; a datasecurity class 1: locking up and encrypting the data stored in themobile communication apparatus; and a data security class 0: doingnothing.
 31. The method of claim 24, wherein after the notice signal issent out, the mobile communication apparatus waits for an confirmationsignal to confirm that the notice signal has been transmitted accordingto the predetermined contact information successfully; and wherein ifthe mobile communication apparatus does not receive the confirmationsignal in a predetermined period, the mobile communication apparatusrepetitiously sends the notice signal until the confirmation signal isreceived.
 32. The method of claim 24, wherein the first SIM card has acorresponding first phone number serving as the predetermined contactinformation; and wherein when the detection result is generated, themobile communication apparatus will dial the first phone number forsending out the notice signal automatically.
 33. The method of claim 26,wherein when and/or after the data stored in the mobile communicationapparatus is transmitted according to the predetermined contactinformation, the information related to that data transmission will beprevented from being shown and all records related to that datatransmission will be deleted.
 34. The method of claim 31, wherein whenand/or after the notice signal is transmitted, the information relatedto that notice signal transmission is prevented from being shown and allcorresponding records of that notice signal transmission will bedeleted; and wherein when and/or after the confirmation signal isreceived, the information related to that confirmation signal receptionwill be prevented from being shown and all corresponding records of thatconfirmation signal reception will be deleted.
 35. The method of claim33, wherein the mobile communication apparatus will select one availablecarrier from a plurality of carriers for data transmission, and willselect a corresponding data transmission application program accordingto the selected carrier; wherein the mobile communication apparatusselects the carrier based upon the size of the data to be transmitted.36. The method of claim 33, wherein the carriers are provided in acommunication system, and the communication system is one of GlobalSystem for Mobile Communication (GSM), General Packet Radio Service(GPRS), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), WCDMA andCDMA2000; and wherein the data transmission application program is oneof an e-mail application program, a short message service (SMS)application program, and a multimedia message service (MMS) applicationprogram.
 37. The method of claim 24, wherein the first identificationinformation comprises at least one of a first international mobilesubscriber identity (IMSI) code and first Integrated Circuit CardIdentification (ICCID).
 38. The method of claim 27, wherein secondidentification information comprises at least one of a firstinternational mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) code and firstIntegrated Circuit Card Identification (ICCID).
 39. A method for datasecurity applied in a mobile communication apparatus, the methodcomprising: providing a plurality of data security classes and storing athird security code; receiving a remote message, and examining theremote message by applying the third security code; and confirming theremote message to be a predetermined legitimate remote control messageaccording to the third security code; and performing a data securityprocedure on the data stored in the mobile communication apparatusaccording to the remote message.
 40. The method of claim 39, wherein theremote message is sent out from a remote electronic apparatus,comprising an interface program for receiving a fourth security code,and the remote message is compiled and/or encoded by the remoteelectronic apparatus to be the predetermined legitimate remote controlmessage based upon the fourth security code; wherein when the remotemessage is received by the mobile communication apparatus, the contentof the remote message will be decoded based upon the third security codestored in the mobile communication apparatus; wherein if the fourthsecurity code is same as the third security code, the content of theremote message will be decoded successfully, and the remote message isconfirmed to be the predetermined legitimate remote control message bythe mobile communication apparatus.
 41. The method of claim 40, whereinthe mobile communication apparatus comprises four data security classesfor setting, and the data security procedure is determined according tothe set data security class, the data security classes comprises: a datasecurity class 3: sending a notice signal according to the contactinformation, locking up and encrypting all data stored in the mobilecommunication apparatus, and transmitting all of the data according tothe contact information; a data security class 2: sending the noticesignal according to the first contact information, locking up andencrypting all data stored in the s mobile communication apparatus; adata security class 1: locking up and encrypting all data stored in themobile communication apparatus; and a data security class 0: doingnothing; wherein the contact information is one of a first contactinformation included in the remote message and a second contactinformation stored in the mobile communication apparatus.
 42. The methodof claim 39, wherein the mobile communication apparatus furthercomprises a display panel, and the remote message received by the mobilecommunication apparatus is a remote control short message; and whereinif the remote control short message is confirmed to be the predeterminedlegitimate remote control message, the remote control short message willbe prevented from be displayed on the display panel so as to keep theuser currently using the mobile communication apparatus from being awareof the existence of the remote control short message.